Apr 17, 2016 | Marketing
In the West, social media has been blamed for a number of ills, from alienation to depression. Some even believe them to be creating a generation of narcissistic electronic addicts who are incapable of reflective, individual, original thought. However, as a global...
Apr 15, 2016 | Publishing
For those who missed the news, Amazon has just released Kindle Oasis, the company’s next big step towards its goal of digital paper. Its thinnest, lightest and most expensive e-reader yet has a new design with 9-week reading battery, ergonomic grip, and...
Apr 13, 2016 | My Publications, Writing
Once again, my friends, I need your help. I have been working on a non-fiction book that explains how to use beats to show emotion in your writing. What are beats, you ask? They are short descriptions and actions that pepper a dialogue, indicating what a character...
Apr 11, 2016 | Random Musings
Having a newborn around means sleep is largely a thing of the past. Even before that, though, I spent many a night writing away. Which is something hardly unusual, when it comes to writers. So many people have told me that they do their best (or only) writing at...
Apr 9, 2016 | Maps and Infographics
Designer Raphael Lysander has produced this beautiful Infographic on the health benefits of reading, first published on his excellent blog. The image features statistics on how reading can help with stress relief, mental skill development, and forming relationships:...
Apr 7, 2016 | My Publications
Here is the promised update on the progress of Honest Fibs, my third collection of short stories, written in my trademark combination of speculative and science fiction: it’s alive! Sorry, I mean, it’s live. And you can buy it for the exclusive preorder...
Apr 5, 2016 | Entertainment, Fun Historical Facts
These days, The Big Bang Theory presents Dungeons & Dragons – one of modern Fantasy’s origins – as an innocent pastime. However, Eric Grundhauser of Atlas Obscura reminded me recently of the media panic over the game when it had first appeared....
Apr 3, 2016 | My Publications
I have a major announcement to make, as Victoria Chase might put it. My third short stories collection, Honest Fibs, was just will be published in a few days – and I now have the draft cover in my hands! Looks good, right? The stories are told by two fishermen,...
Apr 1, 2016 | Entertainment, My Publications
I have some great news: my third collection of short stories is now ready, and waiting for my cover wizard friend, Alex Saskalides, to work his magic. The title is Honest Fibs, since the stories are narrated as an exchange of tall tales between two fishermen. To...
Mar 30, 2016 | Marketing
IN 1983, screenwriter William Goldman coined the famous saying that in Hollywood, “Nobody knows anything” when it comes to predicting which films will succeed at the box office. This holds true for books, too. However, the Economist recently published a 10-year study...
Mar 28, 2016 | Maps and Infographics, Writing
When working on Pearseus, I decided to include a map. In fact, I ended up drawing at least three versions, then buying Cartographer and doing another three versions there. Then, I realized a lot of people hate maps in books. A recent post by A.J. O’Conell of...
Mar 26, 2016 | My Publications
When someone approaches me, asking for my contribution to a new magazine, I have no way to know what the end result will be like. Well, in this case, it looks fantastic, so I’m more than happy to share! The Silverlight Cafe Magazine is a new magazine, put...
Mar 24, 2016 | Publishing
A recent Wired report describes the way Amazon is attempting to disrupt the software environment through Amazon Underground, a new model that’s grown exponentially since launching a few months ago. For those unfamiliar with Underground—which, realistically, includes...
Mar 22, 2016 | Publishing
Customers using an outdated software version on Kindle e-readers require an important software update by today (March 22, 2016) in order to continue to download Kindle books from the Cloud, access the Kindle Store, and use other Kindle services on their device....
Mar 22, 2016 | My Publications
I don’t normally post reviews of my work, but I couldn’t help it this time. I’ve been following Bookwraiths for a while now, enjoying Wendel’s excellent reviews of fantasy and science fiction works. He has introduced me to a number of great...
Mar 20, 2016 | Entertainment
You may remember the recent spam I’d been getting from some persons offering to off anyone annoying me – or, at least, teach them a lesson. Mercifully, this sort of spam has stopped. In its place, I started receiving spam from lawyers. Kinda makes sense, I...
Mar 18, 2016 | Random Musings
The Internet has been buzzing lately with news relating to the placement of our Table of Contents. Specifically, Amazon is now requesting that we place it at the beginning, not the end of our ebooks. Has the company lost its marbles, as some claim? Sadly, no. Scammers...
Mar 16, 2016 | Publishing
Many of you were taken by the Espresso Book Machine by Xerox and the news of the first European Print-On-Demand bookstore opening in Paris. You had many questions in regards to the resulting book’s cost, the quality of printing etc, so I thought I’d come...
Mar 15, 2016 | Blog hops tours & reblogs, Events and Giveaways
Starting today and lasting until March 21st, Free Booksy/Red Feather Romance has partnered with eNovel Authors at Work to bring you a week-long celebration with great books, great book deals, and – let’s not forget – great giveaways. Welcome to the...
Mar 14, 2016 | Publishing
Have you heard of the Espresso Book Machine? Created by Xerox, it’s a printer robot that can print out an entire book in minutes. Bookstores no longer need to order and stock up on books; all they need is an Espresso Book Machine and an Internet connection. If...
